The worst graphics in the game

However, their demon pets aren’t the worst looking models in the game. No, I believe that druids still win for having the worst looking graphics. The winners for biggest losers are travel form & aquatic form.

Our travel form loses because it’s a placeholder graphic that is identical across all the races and is so boring and uninspired that it can be mistaken for some random NPC feline, and looks so much worse than the cool updated graphics that hunters get for their pets. Blizzard originally called it a placeholder graphic, and then took back that statement saying it was intentional and permanent (because I think they didn’t want to put in the effort to actually update it).

Our aquatic form is so ugly that people had serious debates on the druid forums a long time ago about what it actually was, and team Seal, team Sea Lion, and team Manatee had epic forum battles. The one thing everyone agreed on was that the form was super ugly.

Seriously, when are we getting new graphics for these two super out-dated forms that weren’t even really good to begin with? We heard rumors from Blizzard that they were thinking of changing them for Cataclysm, but they didn’t get done before the Launch of Cataclysm. I’m hoping that Blizzard hasn’t forgotten about these two neglected graphics. These two druid graphics should definitely be in line for replacement before they start working on having multiple gendered options for the warlock demon pets. Until then, I’ll just be embarrassed every time I have to use these two forms. I actually hate looking at them so much that I almost don’t want to put the pictures in my post, but I need them for emphasis.

Please, Blizzard, replace these graphics ASAP! Let them be a priority in the art department please!

17 comments on “The worst graphics in the game”

I’d be more annoyed if travel form was more useful. Since it doesn’t scale with mount speed, it’s only useful for 4 levels until you get a +60% mount at 20 and then it gets lost in the rear view mirrors on my horsey.

While I agree that the models look… horrid, I think that they are used so rarely it doesnt matter. With Cataclysm I use flightform as my “travel” form and I cant remember I swam outside of Vashjir where I used a sea horse so although the models are bad it doesnt matter that much. Id much rather they work on bear, cat, and boomkin.

The only time I use travel form is in PvP and during PvP my model doesnt matter much to me – I am too bust staring at gladius waiting for when I should click cyclone again 😛

I mean of all the things that need new models I think the travel form model could be fixed easily, just change the model to one of the newer Cata or WotLK models like a different coloured rare hunter pet. (I forget the name but he looks like a snow leopard.)

I’m always a little skeptical when someone’s view about how Blizzard should prioritize happens to be self-serving. As much as I’d love an update to those forms, and as deserved such an update would be, how often do Druids use travel form or aquatic form? Not necessarily all that often.

On the other hand, Warlocks are a pet class. We’re not sure which demons will be getting another gender option, or how different the male and female versions will be, but it’s pretty nice that Warlocks will finally have some options as far as their demons are concerned. If anything, Blizzard should be thinking about updating the existing models and other potential demon customization options.

Besides, even thinking strictly about Druid forms, I’m personally more bothered by bear form than any other. Its butt is a little too prominent: too big, hanging too high in the air, even as the head tends to hover too close to the ground. It’s jarring and seriously makes it hard to be in bear form. =P

Also, they said they were working on new travel & sea potato forms back when they were making announcements about Cataclysm features. People do use the 2 forms in specific places. Sea Form gets used any time you are swimming, including all of Vash leveling. Travel form gets used when you are running away outdoors in combat (so, escaping from extra mobs you pulled while soloing, or getting away from attackers in PvP).

Warlocks actually have models for their pets that look visiually fine. Adding extra gendered pets is a bonus (like adding extra gendered feral forms would be for druids), and not necessarily even a change to the existing models.

I just want what Blizzard said was coming for us almost a year ago. I don’t want us to be forgotten & unimportant. In general, all the feedback directed at Blizzard is written to be self-serving in some way or another. If the community just accepts mediocrity, than that’s exactly what we’re going to get.

the thing with bear form is that it has always been that way: butt up, head down, with a massive posterior. I think changing it from that general model would cause a lot of angry druids to surface. For many people tanking the look of bear form is a draw, they may wish that it updated itself with your armor a little or other minor things, but generally the consensus from bear tanks is that it is awesome.

The aqua sausage on the other hand: shudder. I cant honestly say i have used travel form in like 3 years so that one doesnt really bother me, but doing the loremaster achievs in the low level zones is made way easier by having swim form in some places.

The answer as horrid as these models/animations look in comparison to the rest of the game is how much time*eyes are spent viewing them vs demons models or in fact anything else in the game. The dock in ratchet had a very obvious vertex color bug since launch and was never fixed until they changed the model in cata. Developers, even those who pride themselves so much on quality don’t spend time on items with such low return on investment when effort can be spent is other much more impactful areas. I was surprised blizzard even put any effort into druid set pieces in during TBC & WotLK since you never saw a druid outside of a form during those two eras.

As as I am concerned, the technical term for aquatic form is “fugly form” 🙂

In regards to Zar’s post, I took it to mean that separate male/female demon forms (and a way to choose between them) are on the big “TO DO” list at Blizzard HQ, but aren’t anywhere in anyone’s development schedule. I expect that tasks for fixing druid travel and fugly forms are on the same “TO DO” list.

Night Elf and Tauren flight form haven’t had an update since BC (I think) and are pretty plain looking. I’m not a fan of Night Elf flight form at all–it is just not as enticing or exciting as other aspects of the game.

I do agree the travel form and aquatic form need updating. The claims that they aren’t used very often are unfounded. The entire leveling process uses them. When endlessly killing mobs for quests all the way up to level 85, travel form between mobs is much more beneficial than mounting up. Throne of Four Winds benefits from Travel form greatly, and the upcoming ZG and ZA instances will as well. Blizzard has done “outdoor” raid zones before where travel form can be used, who knows they might again.

Actually I think that Moonkin is the form that needs to be updated ASAP. All these pixels make my eyes start bleeding all the time. Ferals and Restos got their new and stylish forms, now it’s the Moonkins’ turn. Although I agree that travel form and aquatic form are extremly ugly – in my opinion a new Moonkin form is more urgent.